Dead & Company Celebrate Summer Solstice At SPAC: Video & Full Audio

On Tuesday Grateful Dead members Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann along with John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti brought Dead & Company tour to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in Saratoga Springs, New York on the first full day of summer. The band continues to find its groove as they dusted off a handful of tour debuts six shows into tour.

Last night’s show was webcast live via LiveDead.co with the first song of each set shared for free on Dead & Company’s Facebook page. Both set openers can be viewed below. There wasn’t much tinkling to start Tuesday’s show as Dead & Company burst into “Feel Like A Stranger” to start the first set. Mayer then stepped up to front the tour’s initial “Here Comes Sunshine” and another strong “Brown Eyed Women.” Next up was the evening’s first Jerry ballad as Weir sang the tour debut of “Loser” ahead of the run’s first cover of Willie Dixon’s “Little Red Rooster.” Improvisationally, the opening stanza hit its high point with the memorable “Cassidy” > “Deal” sequence that closed.

Dead & Company returned to kick off the second set with the tour debut of “Iko Iko.” Mayer has really shined on D&C’s versions of “Estimated Prophet” and Tuesday’s take was no exception. The second set then rolled on with a relatively short “China” > “Rider” before the instrumentalists left the stage to The Rhythm Devils. Hart and Kreutzmann toured their massive rig adding wild elements to the sound. Mickey laid the groundwork for one of the tour’s longest “Space” segments yet by working over “The Beam.” “Uncle John’s Band” emerged out of “Space” and was extended to nearly 15 minutes. Bobby then had another turn with a Jerry ballad as he led the second-ever Dead & Company “Days Between” before a rollicking “Good Lovin'” ended the second set. The six-piece said farewell to the SPAC faithful with a double encore of “Brokedown Palace” and “Johnny B. Goode.”

The tour now moves on to Bristow, Virginia on Thursday night.

Audio (Taped by Bill Goldberg)

Video

[Pro-Shot Feel Like A Stranger]

[Pro-Shot Iko Iko]

[Cassidy > Deal | Captured by Sean Roche]

[Brown Eyed Women | Captured by Sean Roche]